ORGANISERS of WinterStorm 2017 in Troon are getting ready to blow away some early winter cobwebs with the second – and almost sold out - Classic Rock Weekender by the sea on Friday, November 24 and Saturday, November 26.

A weekend of guitar riffs “Doon the Watter” with two days of Seaside Rock with a bit of AOR, a touch of Heavy Metal, a hint of the Blues, with some of the best new and classic rock bands at Troon Concert Hall and more than 1,600 music fans descending on the town the town will be rocking.

As well as the main stage at Troon Concert Hall, WinterStorm have this week unveiled a superb line up on the free to attend Jagermeister Stage and a host of other fun add-ons including Troon’s biggest Deckchair – it seats three!

The line-up for the second year of the event has been knocking rock fans across the UK and beyond for six with tickets sent out to Wales, England, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, Germany and from all parts of Scotland.

Local hotels have sold out their rooms and the trains from Glasgow will see an influx of music fans.

The main stage features 20 bands over the two days across genres and as well as the main headline acts will introduce some superb unsigned bands.

The weekend features some of the most famous names in rock and includes Bernie Marsden from Whitesnake, Graham Bonnet from Rainbow, Chris Glen from Sensational Alex Harvey Band. New York melodic rockers Tyketto headline Friday, while The Quireboys top the bill on the Saturday.

Legendary eighties rock bands have been pulled up to Scotland with both Heavy Pettin’ and Rock Goddess playing their first Scottish gigs in more than 30 years and it’s a warm welcome back to Praying Mantis and Tygers of Pan Tang and local rockers Attica Rage too.

The event is being MC’d once again by the legendary rock DJ Tom Russell who jumped at the chance to be involved once more.

“I think it’s magnificent that a town like Troon is putting itself firmly on the Rock map and it this event gets the support it’ll be great not only for rock fans from all over the UK and beyond but also for local businesses and tourism. It’ll be great fun to get down the coast for the weekend, listen to some wonderful musicians and get that Ayrshire sea air.”

“It’s great that it’s not only the named bands that are on show. I can’t wait to see the young bands – BigFoot, Stone Broken, Mason Hill and Massive Wagons are already making their mark whilst Anchor Lane, Black King Cobra and Welsh rockers Florence Black are incredible live for their years," he said.

It’s not only about the paid events, though as there is a full programme taking place alongside the concert venue which is FREE admission to all including families.

The Walker Hall hosts two major rock merchandise stands ideal for Christmas gifts, Browning’s the Bakers host the WinterStorm Café and there will be a few surprises during the day.

Also free through until 1am both nights is the South Beach Sessions Acoustic Stage overlooking the beach.

One of the unexpected hits of the first year was the free music stage, the Jagermeister Stage - which this year again features a mix of acoustic and full bands from 5pm on the Friday and 2pm on the Saturday, in the room overlooking the beach. With its own bar and stage, this area offers free admission to over-18s who may be in town and looking for some of the best of Ayrshire’s musical talent with every-thing from Ken O’Hara, the superb Mandula & Hephzibah to the punk folk style of Losing Ground.

The Jägermeister Stage is open til 10.30pm both nights at which point it will transform to the After Show Party and on the Friday will feature local legends The Penetrations until 2am.

This is a wonderful space with views right across the beach towards Arran and it’s a unique way to enjoy some food and drink listening to the very best of new local talent and not just rock based. There are 15 acts scheduled in and organisers expect some surprise performances form the main bands too! It’s completely free, full stage, PA and lights and Bar managed by The Harbour Bar team.”

It promises to be a great space for a beer or a Prosecco after work or just a uniquely different venue for a night out in Ayrshire.

One of the long term commitments in growing the rock weekend was that it should engage where possible with the younger mu-sic fan and families and this commitment is best seen with the announcement that 200 FREE tickets have been made available to local youth groups from across the whole of Ayrshire to attend three hour slots of the festival on both the Friday and Saturday.

Groups of 10 children with two accompanying adults can attend between 4pm and 7pm on the Friday or 12 noon until 3pm on the Saturday – they’ll see three or four bands on each day and get a fee for a real rock concert. And ear plugs are provided free of charge!

Organiser Ian McCaig said : “Events such as WinterStorm provide kids the chance to see first hand how exciting live music can be and the work that goes on stage in between bands, the lighting, the sound and the organisation. If it can inspire one child to pick up a guitar or hit the drums or join a band then it will have been worth it."

Any groups throughout Ayrshire interested should get in touch quickly on 01294 233713.

For more details on the festival contact:

Website: www.winterstorm.co.uk; Online Ticket Sales, Pricing and Accommodation Info: http://www.winterstorm.co.uk/en/Tickets/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winterstormcoming/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/WinterStormXVI.